Colorado State graduate student Ethan Morton (25) is making his fifth and final NCAA Tournament appearance. The Butler grad had 11 points in Saturday's Mountain West Conference championship game. Submitted photo

For the fifth consecutive season, Butler graduate Ethan Morton finds himself in the NCAA Tournament.

However, this one feels a bit different for the 2019-2020 Pennsylvania High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Morton scored a collegiate career-high 11 points, adding four rebounds and an assist Saturday in Colorado State’s 69-56 Mountain West Conference championship game win over Boise State in Las Vegas. The win handed the Rams (25-9) an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

“None of the players talked about it, but we pretty much knew we had to win to get in,” the 6-foot-7 guard said. “A loss would have made things a bit dicey for us.”

The Rams, seeded 12th in the west region, will face fifth-seeded Memphis in a first-round game Friday in Seattle.

A graduate student at Colorado State, Morton left Purdue after four years with a degree in finance. The Boilermakers won one Big Ten tournament title and two regular season conference crowns during his time there and reached the national championship game last season.

A starter early in his Purdue career, Morton rarely saw the floor last season during the Boilermakers’ tournament run.

“I remember the strange way I felt while all that was going on,” Morton said. “I was happy for the team’s success, but didn’t really feel like a part of it. I wanted to go somewhere where I could feel like I did in high school, playing at a high level and enjoying the game.”

Morton had plenty of options before deciding to join the Rams.

“You never know what to expect entering the transfer portal,” Butler coach Matt Clement said. “Everyone’s going to tell you what they want to hear, offer the NIL money, all of that, but you’re never quite sure what’s going on.

“Ethan never planned on going out west. A lot of people wondered why he didn’t transfer closer to home so everyone could see him play. But he hit the jackpot with where he picked. He wanted to go where he could act like himself (on the court) again.”

Though not a starter, Morton is averaging 24 minutes per game this season, along with 3.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game ... not staggering numbers, but effective ones. He averaged 2.0 points in 132 career games at Purdue.

His efforts Saturday included a thunderous dunk that decided the issue against Boise State. The Rams, who were picked to finish seventh in the MWC preseason poll, won their 10th straight game and first conference crown in 22 years.

“Just rewarding ... very, very rewarding,” Morton said of this year’s title run. “I get a little emotional even talking about it. I ran over and hugged my family right after the game. They know the ups and downs I’ve been through.

“They appreciate this as much as I do.”

Morton’s college basketball career ends with Colorado State’s next loss.

“Who knows when that will be?” Clement said. “They’re the hottest team in the country right now.”

The Rams were 5-5 early in the season before getting on a roll late.

“In reality, we’ve been in playoff mode for quite a while now. We could see ourselves steadily improving as a team,” Morton said. “Things didn’t go well for us or for me early, but the coaching staff stayed with me. I’ve always been part of the rotation, and I needed to feel that way again.

“This season’s experience has had its challenges for me, but it’s been so satisfying. I’m grateful for it.”

Morton has not played on a losing team since the second grade.

“There’s some luck there, obviously, but no matter my situation with any team, I’ve always considered myself a winner,” Morton said. “I take pride in that.”

Morton is not ruling out playing pro basketball overseas next year, but he also has his eyes on getting into coaching at the college level.

“I couldn’t be happier for him,” Clement said.